Click here to perform a collections search.
Co-produced with Pratibha Arts, the Tarana Digital Project is a series of videos showcasing works by Bageshree Vaze that celebrate the spectrum of Kathak music and dance — from the rhythmic language to the facial expressions and lyrical movements.
Join Amirali Alibhai, Head of Performing Arts at the Aga Khan Museum, as he sits down with Bageshree Vaze, Artistic Director of Pratibha Arts, to explore the inspiration behind the Tarana video series and the resilient and evolutionary story of Kathak.
An exploration of this majestic 14-beat rhythmic cycle, highlighting the crucial role of Tabla drum language in Kathak dance.
Often the culminating piece in a Kathak performance, the Tarana interweaves melody with staccato, high-speed rhythmic compositions that highlight footwork and chakkars, or spins, unique to the Kathak style.
This piece evokes emotional responses in both the performer and the audience by enacting the Navarasas, the nine emotions in the human experience, as identified in the Natya Shastra, a 2000-year-old treatise on South Asian classical dance.
This piece brings to life the grandeur of the Lucknow courts, where classical dance and music were performed prior to 1858, before the British colonialists dismantled the system of royal court arts patronage in South Asia.
This Tarana highlights the interaction of graceful and dynamic movements and rhythms.
This Tarana evokes a sombre, mystical quality in its composition and choreography and celebrates the Sufi and Islamic influences in Kathak dance.
Dr. Steven Zucker, with Aga Khan Museum curators Dr. Filiz Çakir Phillip and Dr. Michael Chagnon on ‘The Court of Gayumars’ from the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp, ca. 1524-25 (Aga Khan Museum AKM165). More information can be obtained by visiting smarthistory.org
Dr. Lisa Golombek (Islamic Art Specialist) and Dr. Robert Mason (Archaeological Scientist) delve into the history of two Safavid glazed tiles from the collection of the Aga Khan Museum (AKM590), discussing how their research lead to identifying the spandrel frieze that these tiles once belonged to. The conversation is moderated by Assistant Curator Bita Pourvash.
Museum Curator Dr. Filiz Çakır Phillip weighs in on two blue and white pharmaceutical jars from 15th-century Syria (AKM567 and AKM568). Known as albarelli, jars like these ones were prized for their aesthetic beauty and were widely traded.
Museum Curator Dr. Filiz Çakır Phillip weighs in on two blue and white pharmaceutical jars from 15th-century Syria (AKM567 and AKM568). Known as albarelli, jars like these ones were prized for their aesthetic beauty and were widely traded.
Discover the story behind the first contemporary artwork acquisitioned by the Aga Khan Museum, “Your Way Begins on the Other Side” by Aisha Khalid (2015.1.1). Dr. Filiz Çakır Phillip delves into the concept of the tapestry, inspired by the Iranian garden, and the symbolic meaning of its rich patterns.
Artworks can speak for interwoven connections between cultures. Materials and techniques used by artists offer multi-faceted intercultural stories. In this Curator’s Conversation about a Safavid dish (AKM588) with Dr. Filiz Çakır Phillip, you will encounter the fascinating adventure of the exotic pigment cobalt blue, and the meaning of the lotus as it signifies purity and harmony in Buddhist tradition.
Assistant Curator Bita Pourvash on a 17th-century Safavid dish depicting an idealized portrait of a woman.
Curator Dr. Marika Sardar on a Mughal portrait of Shah Jahan (Aga Khan Museum AKM124), in conversation with Dr. Filiz Çakir Philip (curator and arms and armor specialist) and Tazeen Qayyum (artist).
Curator Dr. Marika Sardar on a portrait of a Sir Henry Fane, British officer in India (Aga Khan Museum AKM472), and dealing with images of problematic historical figures.
Curator Dr. Marika Sardar on a 15th century Chinese ewer that belonged to Shah Jahan (Aga Khan Museum AKM966), in conversation with Dr. Katherine Anne Paul (specialist on Asian ceramics).
Curator Dr. Marika Sardar on a Mughal copy of the Akhlaq-i Nasiri (Aga Khan Museum AKM288), with a focus on the painting of Mughal book workshop.
Curator Dr. Michael Chagnon on a 17th-century Persian drawing of a seated artist (AKM192), addressing concepts of image making.
To book a virtual curatorial session, please contact [email protected]
Our specialists:3-D exhibition tour: View 3D Tour
Selected AKM objects from this exhibition: